Just as the stock (股票) market rises and falls in response to what people are willing to put their money behind, we have inside ourselves an inner economy that rises and falls in response to our beliefsabout what is possible.Sometimes the degree to which we are willing to challenge our belief systems determines the success of our inner economy.For example, imagine that your family of origin had a belief that musical talent was not something they possessed.As a member of that group, you would likely hold that same belief about yourself.As a result, even if you had a great desire to create music, you might be hesitant to really get behind yourself, fearing that your investment (投資) would not pay off.Even if you had the courage to follow your passion, your inner belief that you are not born talented would probably be a major obstacle to investing your energy in your dream.
      On the other hand, if you found a way to release that negative belief, a great flood of energy would pour forth, greatly increasing the likelihood of your success.How much energy we are willing to invest in the various ideas, dreams, and visions we carry within is like the money people are, or are not, willing to invest in the various products available for trade on the stock market.And in both cases, belief plays a key role in determining how willing we are to get behind something.One way to open up the possibility for greater success in our inner economies is to understand that belief is not the reliable guide we sometimes think.There are other more reliable things of success that we can put our faith in, such as passion, feeling, and sense.Some of the most successful investors in the stock market are the ones that go against the grain, trusting their sense over the common opinion held by common people about what will work.
     In the same way, we can learn to trust our heart's desires and our sense to guide us, questioning any beliefs that stand in the way of our ability to fully invest in ourselves.As we take out energy from limiting ideas about what is possible, we free up the resources that have the power to make our inner economy prosper.

1. We can safely conclude from the first paragraph that________.

A. our belief is not reliable
B. belief is not so important in our success
C. belief is an obstacle to our success
D. our belief determines our success in some way

2. According to the passage, if a family of origin has passion for literature, the members of the family
    will probably________.

A. write poems
B. hate literature
C. enter the field of literature
D. teach literature

3. We can put our faith in the following things of success except________.

A. passion  
B. feeling
C. sense  
D. stock market

4. The purpose of the author is________.

A. to teach us a lesson
B. to give us some useful suggestions
C. to encourage us to invest in the stock market
D. to tell us common people have negative beliefs

     I don't know how I became a writer, but I think it was because of a certain force in me that had to
write and that finally burst through and found a channel.My people were of the working class of people.
My father, a stonecutter, was a man with a great respect and veneration (崇敬) for literature.He had a
tremendous memory, and he loved poetry, and the poetry that he loved best was naturally of the
rhetorical kind that such a man would like.Nevertheless it was good poetry, Hamlet's Soliloquy,
Macbeth, Mark Antony's "Funeral Oration", Grey's "Elegy", and all the rest of it.I heard it all as a child;
I memorized and learned it all.
     He sent me to college to the state university.The desire to write, which had been strong during all my
days in high school, grew stronger still.I was editor of the college paper, the college magazine, etc., and
in my last year or two I was a member of a course in play writing which had just been established there.
I wrote several little oneact plays, still thinking I would become a lawyer or a newspaper man, never
daring to believe I could seriously become a writer.Then I went to Harvard, wrote some more plays
there, became obsessed with (著迷于) the idea that I had to be a playwright, left Harvard, had my plays
rejected, and finally in the autumn of 1926, how, why, or in what manner I have never exactly been able
to determine.But probably because the force in me that had to write at length sought out its channel, I
began to write my first book in London.I was living all alone at that time.I had two rooms-a bedroom
and a sitting room-in a litter square in Chelsea in which all the houses had that familiar, smoked brick and
creamyellowplaster look.

1. We may conclude, in regard to the author's development as a writer, that his father________.

A. made an important contribution
B. insisted that he choose writing as a career
C. opposed his becoming a writer
D. insisted that he read Hamlet in order to learn how to be a writer

2. The author believes that he became a writer mostly because of________.

A. his special talent
B. his father's teaching and encouragement
C. his study at Harvard
D. a hidden urge within him

3. The author________.

A. began to think of becoming a writer at Harvard
B. had always been successful in his writing career
C. went to Harvard to learn to write plays
D. worked as a newspaper man before becoming a writer

4. The author really started on his way to become a writer______.

A. when he was in high school
B. when he was studying at Harvard
C. when he lived in London
D. after he entered college

5. What can we learn about the author's life in the autumn of 1926?

A. He left Harvard and got married.
B. He couldn't make up his mind what to do.
C. He started his dream as a writer.
D. He began to think seriously what to do.

     Few people would question the value of taking part in sports for young people.With proper training,
supervision,protective equipment and techniques,and a proper emphasis on winning,sports can develop
a healthy body and spirit and a lifelong interest in being active and fit.Without such measures,childhood
sports can lead to injuries and even paralysis or death.
     Even in the best conditions,no activity can be riskfree.But most serious hazards are preventable.
Cyclists and football players can reduce their risks by wearing helmets;  hockey players by wearing
masks;  basketball and tennis players by wearing eye guards;  baseball players by wearing batting
helmets.
     Besides,risks to individual players can often be found,and thus prevented,through a properly
performed medical exam before a child plays.For accidents that may not be preventable,having an
emergency plan and firstaid equipment,and someone trained to use the equipment,can be lifesaving.
     Still,each year,according to the American College of Sports Medicine,more than 775,000 children
under 14 are treated in emergency rooms for sports injuries,nearly half of them preventable.An estimated
300,000 athletes experience exerciserelated head illnesses each year,and almost all of them should have
been avoided.
     Further,from half to threefourths of sportsrelated concussions(腦震蕩) are never even diagnosed;  the
injured are often sent back to play too soon and put at risk of another more serious braindamaging
concussion.To help reduce these risks,the National Center for Sports Safety,with the National Athletic
Trainers'Association,offers a threehour online safety course for coaches for $28
at www.SportsSafety.org.

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. All the accidents can be prevented.
B. All the accidents cannot be prevented.
C. Lives can be saved so long as there is proper equipment.
D. Lives cannot be saved even if there is proper equipment.

2. What does the underlined word "hazards" (in Paragraph 2) mean?

A. Mistakes.  
B. Diseases.  
C. Dangers.  
D. Situations.

3. It is implied in the passage that________.

A. prevention of injuries is not paid enough attention to
B. children under 14 are more easily hurt in sports
C. most head illnesses are related with exercise
D. none of the head illnesses should have happened

4. What can coaches mainly learn from the online safety course?

A. How to cure braindamaging concussion.
B. How to diagnose braindamaging concussion.
C. How to predict the possibility of brain damage.
D. How to deal with the injured properly.

     You don't need millions to be happy.In fact,at The Happiness Institute in Australia,a couple of
hundred dollars may be enough.
    The institute opened its door last year,and,since then,men and women of all ages have been paying
$200 an hour for lessons on how to feel great.
     "You can actually increase your happiness levels.That's what we teach," said Timothy Sharp,founder
of the institute.
     Experts say that only about 15 percent of happiness comes from income,assets and other financial
factors.As much as 85 percent comes from things such as attitude,life control and relationships.
     Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents,but happiness
levels haven't changed to reflect that.
     Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met,additional wealth adds very little
to happiness.
     Many decades ago,the "sage of Baltimore,Maryland",editor H L Mencken,defined (下定義) wealth
as earning $100 more than your "wife's sister's husband".
     Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is that we compare
ourselves to people better off materially.
     "The argument is that if you want to be happy there's a very simple thing you can do:
     Compare yourself to people who are less well_off than you-poorer,smaller house and car," said
Sharp.
     The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing
on "more than just your bank account".
     "If I compare myself to Bill Gates then I'm always going to be down," said Sharp.
     A better thing to compare with,he said,might be Kerry Packer,Australia's richest person who has
had a kidney transplant (腎臟移植) and heart surgery in recent years.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. You can increase your happiness levels by attending the classes at The Happiness Institute.
B. Most of us are happier than our parents or grandparents since we earn more.
C. Earn $100 more than your wife's sister's husband if you want to be happy.
D. Both Bill Gates and Kerry Packer are examples of those who are extremely rich but
     obviously unhappy.

2. The underlined phrase has the same meaning as the word________.

A. healthy  
B. unhealthy  
C. free  
D. wealthy

3. The author wrote the passage to tell us________.

A. happiness is everything
B. wealth is the foundation of happiness
C. we can have fun at The Happiness Institute
D. money doesn't always mean happiness

4. According to the passage,happiness mainly depends on________.

A. income,assets and other financial factors
B. additional wealth apart from the satisfaction of the basic needs of shelter and food
C. things like attitude,life control and relationships
D. society development

     I am trying to muster (鼓起) the courage to toss_away my mobile phone to enjoy a more peaceful
and ringfree life.
     Can you imagine not having your mobile phone? In our hightech,  inahurry age,  a cellfree life is a hard
concept to swallow.Our mobile phones can now access the Internet,  and many people feel the need to
express their every thought on their blog pages.If I gave up my cellphone,  people would think I was mad.
     I wish I had the strength to toss away my technology.I have an office phone,  a home phone,  an email
and if people want to contact me,  they can.If I'm out,  people can leave a message.Do they really need
to find me 24/7?However,  I'm a bit like Frodo in the movie Lord of the Rings.The power of the ring is
too strong and I can't let it go.
     Mobile phones have become necessary tools in our busy life.For most people,  they hold all contacts
and many of us don't write up address books any more.The latest phones carry our music,  pictures, 
 movies and everything else.We feel lost without this device and when we do misplace it,  we feel cut off
from our fellow.
     "Where have you been?" said a friend,  who saw me a week after I lost my cellphone,  "I tried calling
you,  but you disappeared.You disappeared off the face of the Earth." See,  when you don't have a
mobile phone,  you don't exist.
     I'm not really going to toss my mobile phone away,  in fact.We humans are such social animals and
mobile phones serve us well.So in 2009,  I've decided not to serve my mobile phone.Like all machines, 
 I can always turn it off.

1. What does the underlined phrase "toss away" mean?

A. give away  
B. get away
C. break away  
D. throw away

2. The writer mentions Frodo to________.

A. show it is difficult to get rid of the mobile phone
B. show how much he likes Frodo
C. suggest a cellfree life is what he wants
D. introduce a film character to us

3. What do we know about mobile phones in the 4th paragraph?

A. Mobile phones can do anything for us.
B. Mobile phones have become very important in our life.
C. We could not live without mobile phones.
D. We would be cut off by our fellow without mobile phones.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The writer is not really going to toss his mobile phone away.
B. When you don't have a mobile phone,  you don't exist.
C. The writer decides not to serve his mobile phone.
D. We humans can control ourselves and machines.

     Compared to people with bad attitudes,  people who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer
from colds,  according to a new study."It's possible that being upbeat helps the body fight illnesses,  "
says Sheldon Cohen,  the study's lead researcher from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh.
     In a previous study,  Cohen and his colleagues put coldcausing viruses into the noses of 334 healthy
adults.People who tended to be cheerful and lively were least likely to develop sniffles,  coughs,  and
other cold symptoms.People who showed positive feelings were also less likely to mention symptoms to
their doctors,  even when medical tests detected those symptoms.
     Those findings were interesting,  but they didn't prove that a person's attitude affects whether he or
she gets sick.Instead,  it was still possible that a person's underlying personality is what matters.Evidence
suggests,  for instance,  that certain people are naturally more likely to be outgoing and optimistic,  with
high selfesteem and a sense of control over life.This would mean that who we are,  not how we feel,  
ultimately decides our chances of catching colds.
     To figure out which mattered more (personality or emotions),  the CMU team interviewed 193
healthy adults.The researchers talked to each person over the phone every evening for 2 weeks.At the
end of the interviewing period,  people got nose drops that contained either cold or flu viruses.Then,  
each person stayed in an isolated room for 5 or 6 days.The results showed that everyone in the study
was equally likely to get infected.Their symptoms,  however,  differed depending on the types of emotions
that they had reported over the previous 2 weeks.Among those who reported good moods and had been
infected with the flu virus,  for example,28 percent developed coughs and stuffy noses.On the other
hand,  those symptoms struck 41 percent of people who had been less upbeat.

1. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Smiles Turn away Colds
B. An Interesting Way to Beat Colds
C. Be Outgoing and Optimistic to Fight Colds
D. What Matters More,  Personality or Emotions?

2. In the previous study,  people who showed positive feelings______.

A. didn't catch colds as often
B. developed cold symptoms more slowly
C. were less likely to have cold symptoms detected
D. were less likely to feel cold symptoms

3. What mainly decides our chances of catching colds according to the new study?

A. Personality.  
B. Selfesteem.
C. Emotions.  
D. Attitudes.

4. The underlined word "symptoms" probably means________.

A. something that causes cold
B. something that results in cold
C. signs that something exists,  especially something bad
D. changes in your body or mind that show that you are not healthy

     Choosing a nice mountain bike for you is easier than learning how to ride it.Keep these tips in mind:
     Decide how you are going to use your new mountain bike.
     Are you a new rider who simply wants to travel outdoors on the weekend,  weather permitting?Do
you intend to test yourself on the rough roads,  every day,  rain or shine?Or are you going to use your